Wilkins is a definite sleeper candidate this year. Any early draft pick hitter coming from an advanced college program (Arkansas) that has a strong rookie debut is expected to continue that success. Wilkins showed power, plate discipline and contact. As a corner infielder, he sits behind Morel, Viciedo, Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko. Sounds like a possible trade piece to me.

… Tools wise scouts don’t seem to love him offensively, but those numbers made him an interesting prospect in the seventh round. As expected that power hasn’t translated as a pro (3 HR in 213 AB in 2010), but he still has solid doubles power. He has decent speed and walks a lot, making him a potentially solid No. 2 type hitter. …

In 56 plate appearances (so, sample size alert), Sale held right-handers to a .120/.214/.240 batting line. He did it while throwing them six change-ups in 220 pitches (2.7%), which accounted for 3 balls, 2 called strikes and 1 swinging strike. It was a non-factor. as he went with a two-pitch approach: 66.8% four seamers, 26.4% sliders. And, to my surprise, looking at his Texas Leaguers chart, he wasn’t just back-dooring the slider everytime. It’s a pitch he trusts, and a pitch that works, against right-handers. …

I credit Baseball America and Matt Eddy being the first to make me aware of Mike Blanke, the team’s 13th-round pick from the Division II University of Tampa. Blanke hit .329/.400/.508 in the Pioneer League, where Eddy ranked him as the number seven prospect. He wrote, “…he would have gone much earlier had clubs had any inkling that he would show plus power, arm strength and receiving skills in his pro debut.” …

In Saladino, I see a plus defensive second baseman with on base skills, gap power, and the ability to play a little shortstop in a pinch. Of the players on this list, he may not have the highest ceiling, but his floor is the highest by a wide enough margin for him to earn the top spot without giving it a second thought. The only real red flag in his current skill set is his ability to make contact as a 25% strikeout rate simply isn’t going to work at higher levels. With his quiet approach and baseball IQ, I’m confident that will come down as he continues to work on breaking ball recognition.

September 17, 2010

Offense: With a quiet load, and strong, athletic stance, Saladino makes an excellent first impression at the plate. When swinging the bat well, Saladino keeps his hands inside the ball allowing him to scorch line drives to left field. On occasion however, his load will become long forcing his pull arm to extend to a locked position. While it didn’t happen often, Saladino had great difficulty adjusting to pitches above the letters when it did.

In game action, Saladino did not show much aptitude for taking pitches the other way, but consistently made solid contact and showed the potential for gap power. His quick wrists and level swing plane are tailor-made for doubles into the left-center field gap. I have some concern with his pitch recognition as he seemed to struggle picking up decent offspeed pitches and sat “dead red” for most of the series. This led to his swinging and missing more than a hitter with his approach probably should which explains his K% of more than 22%.

Tyler Saladino, SS – A pleasant surprise, Saladino was the most complete prospect on the field in my eyes. Having just turned 21, he’s not young for the level, but plays the game the right way and makes the most out of the tools he does have. And while the tools may only be average across-the-board, very few players even have that to offer. Call me a fan.

It’s been just over 2 months since the draft and most of the top picks have been signed, and signed for a while, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how they were performing. Now it should be noted that sample sizes of this size are relatively meaningless, but it’s interesting to look at nonetheless.

The Voyagers, who open a three-game series tonight in Casper, Wyo., against the Ghosts, will be without star third baseman Juan Silverio, who Tuesday was promoted to Single-A Kannapolis in the Sally League. Silverio was hitting .299 with team-high totals of 26 hits, nine doubles, three homers, 16 RBIs and 44 total bases.Cron said he is happy for Silverio, a 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic.

“That’s kind of what it’s all about,” he said of the promotion. “Juan came here with a nice positive attitude and worked his tail off to produce. He did a great job for us and he deserves a chance to move up. At the same time I feel real good about the guys who are going to step in there.”